Other Food Allergies

Peanuts @ Allergist - How to Respond?

I get allergy shots twice a week; per standard practice, after getting the shots, I have to wait around for about half an hour.

Sitting in the waiting room today, heard the two receptionists talking about--and then opening--a bag of trail mix, which one of them mentioned contained peanuts and other nuts. I was about to leave but still had to go get my parking validated, at which point I requested that they not touch my parking stub. By then, I was in a hurry to get to work, and I didn't really want to hang around an open bag of peanuts.

I'm really, really disturbed by this, to the extent that I don't really feel comfortable going back to my allergist's office without somehow addressing it. I can call the office, but if I do, I'll end up talking to the same receptionists. Both of them are really nice, and I feel like a bit of a git tattling, but this seems kinda important--especially at an allergist's office, where it's pretty much a given that they'll be coming into regular contact with folks with life-threatening peanut allergies. And it seems like if there were one place where I shouldn't have to be hypervigilant, it would be there.

I know that at least my allergist (it's a group practice) is aware that environmental / contact exposure can trigger serious reactions, because he helped with my ADA accommodation paperwork for work.

i would call and speak directly with your doctor. he needs to know what his support staff is doing (putting his patients in harm's way). i am so surprised that they allow food in the waiting room in the first place ... both allergists i've been to have a strict NO FOOD policy in the waiting room, and i assume that means at the reception desk as well. just ridiculous, but i remember a post not too long ago where the actual ALLERGIST mentioned eating peanuts!

This happened twice that I saw at doctors' offices. My child's old allergist office, the nurse said that she had a peanutbutter and jelly sandwich for lunch and the one allergist said "oh ---- will be fine as it's not contact", talking about my child and my child is severely contact. Let's just say, we finally found a new allergist after too many situations like that.

Then, I was waiting to get a letter from my child's pediatrician's office and saw one of the doctor's eat a handful of peanuts and then go in to see a patient, which I believe was a baby. Made a mental note not to take my child to that particular pediatrician. Now I don't know if the pediatrician ended up washing their hands after going in the room, but if it was my child and it was on their breath, might be enough to send my child into a reaction.